Kiwis take bronze in Isuzu technical competition

The Isuzu World Technical Competition, the I-1 Grand Prix, took place in Japan last week, with the New Zealand team achieving third place in the 13th edition of the international competition.

There were 32 countries represented at the event with 100 competitors participating and more than 1200 observers and supporters in attendance.

“New Zealand has proud history at I1GP event, consistently placing in the top five, so to claim another medal result speaks volumes about the skill, speed
and expertise of our team as well as coaching provided by Isuzu service support manager Dmitriy Velikanov,” says Isuzu Trucks NZ general manager Colin
Muir.

“The achievements of our technicians should provide our customers here in New Zealand with peace of mind knowing that some of the very best mechanics in
the world are working on their Isuzu Trucks,” says Muir.

The New Zealand team were Aaron Toumoua and James Hotton from Isuzu master truck dealer Cable Price in Seaview, Wellington.

To qualify for the competition, contestants needed to participate in domestic qualifying rounds in July undertaking theory and practical sections. The
two top scoring finalists were selected to represent the country, then underwent a period of intense training to ready them for the event.

“Accomplishments such as this contributes to our reputation and positively influences the perception of our brand in the local market,” says Muir.

“In turn, it strengthens our competitive advantage and, together with world-class Isuzu product, will help cement our position in the market as we strive
to achieve 19 years of consecutive leadership as the country’s leading provider of new trucks.”

NZ Autocar is New Zealand's leading automotive magazine. Delivering news and authoritative reviews from the car world each month, it includes commentary from NZ's leading automotive writers and covers the full scope of motoring including new cars, fast cars, classics and motorcycles.